Treating crude ani mal



UNITED STATES PATENT tries,

NICHOLAS OONLON, OF LAKE, ILLINOIS.

TREATING CRUDE ANIMAL=HAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,579, dated August7, 1888,

(No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS CoNLoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at No. 802 Forty-third street, in the town of Lake, county ofCook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Process of Cleansing, Deodorizing, and RenderingMoth-Proof Orude Animal-Hair, more especially crude hog-hair, andpreparing it economically and expeditiously for market; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invent-ion, which will enable others skilled in the business towhich it belongs to make and apply the same.

The process now generally followed consists in spreading out on theground the crude hair as it comes from the scalding-tub, scrapingbench,and slaughter-house, and allowing the impurities and foreign mattertherein, consisting of the dirt, blood, cuticle, shreds of skin, flesh,and other animal matter, as far as may be, to disintegrate, decay, ordry up under the action of the elements, keeping it raked and turnedover from time to time to avoid the deterioration and destruction of theunderlying hair by heating or otherwise, and when thus sufficientlydried and partly deodorized preparatory to shipping, sending it to thehairfactoryto be cleansed, deodorized, and prepared for market. Underthis treatment the crude hair cannot be efficiently handled in winter,while during the year, by reason of the winds, much light hair is blownaway,in addition to the loss from heating, 820., thus materiallylessening the quantity saved, as well as deteriorating its quality incolor, strength, elasticity, and durability. The crude hair oftenremains six to eight months on the ground before it is in a fitcondition to ship, during which the effluvia arising from the putrefyingand-decaying animal matter contaminates the air for some distancearound.

The object of my invention is by one continuous process to cleanse,deodorize, render moth-proof, improve the quality, and expeditiouslyprepare for market crude animalhair, more especially crude hog-hair.

By my process I save all the hair as it comes from the slaughter-house,and I cleanse, deodorize, and render it moth-proof at any season of theyear without in any way injuring its elasticity, strength, ordurability, and perform in a few days the work it now takes the elementsand factory combined months to effect, while the sanitary benefitresulting from my treatment cannot be overestimated in and aroundpopulous cities.

To carry my invention into effect I first thoroughly wash the crude hairin water. I do not confine myself to any temperature, but prefer to useit at a temperature of Fahrenheit. I next prepare a solution or compoundof matter consisting of the following ingredients, combined in theproportions stated, viz: two hundred (200) pounds pure water, four andone-half (4%) pounds quicklime, one and three-fourths (1%) poundsalsoda, and one (1) pound sulphuric acid. I contemplate using anychemical equivalents of quicklime, sal-soda, and sulphuric acid assubstitutes therefor, whether such equivalents be simple or compoundchemical equivalents. I prefer the above solution, but it may be varied.Theseingredients should be thoroughly mixed in a tub or vat, at thebottom of which there should bea coiled pipe or worn1,through whichsteam can be passed for the purpose of boiling the compound.

I place the crude hair, after washing, in a wire basket or crib made tofit into said tub or vat, and furnished with adjustable wire covers tokeep the hair under the water-line while in process of cooking, and withlike adjustable bottom for the purpose of protecting it from contactwith the worm or steam-coil, and for promptly emptying the basket whentaken out of the vat and boiling compound. This basket or crib with itscontents, by means of suitable machinery, I suspend in the com- J poundor solution above described in such manner as will completely cover thecrude hair with the compound. myself to any special contrivance, butprefer the above. Having immersed the crude hair in the compound, asabove described, I turn on the steam and bring the solution to 212Fahrenheit, keeping it at that temperature untilsuch time as the hair isproperly cooked, varying from three to five hours, In cooking, the steammay be allowed to run from the coil or worm in and through the solutionby means I do not confine of small perforationsin the coil or worm; orit may be taken through the coil or worm without contact with thecompound. I do not con fine myself to either process, but prefer thelatter. Neither do I confine myself to immersing the hair in thecompound before applying steam, as the hair may be immersed at anytemperature under 212 Fahrenheit with satisfactory results. I prefer,however, to use as above described.

I ascertain by examination from time to time when the hair issufficiently cook ed. The changing of the shreds of cuticle, flesh, &c.,into a gelatinous substance that can be easily removed by rubbing isgenerally a suflicicnt indication. \Vhen cooked sutliciently, Ihoist thewire basket and its contents, above described, by the aid of sui tablemachinery, out of the tub or vat and the boiling compound therein andcarry it to a second tub or vat tilled with warm water at a temperaturebetween 150 and 180 Fahrenheit, into which Iquickly du mp the contentsof the wire basket for washing, &C-

Under the process of cooking, the foreign matter in the crude hair,consisting of the shreds ol'euticle,tlesh, Ste, becomes of agclntinouscharacter, and by rubbing, teasing, and washing is easily detached andremoved from the hair. \Vith the object of attaining this result, whenremoving the hair from the sec ond vat or tub, I rub, tease, and wash itfree from all gelatinous and extraneous matter by the use of suitablemachinery for thatpurpose, and deliver the hair, after being so treated,thoroughly cleansed, and partly deodorized and ready t'ordeodorizing andmotlrprooling;

I do not confine myself to any special class or kind of machinery forthe rubbing, teasing, and washing of the hair; but I prefer to use thatcaveated on July 11, 1885, by Francis Murphy, of Chicago, Illinois, forwashing uir manufactured librinc material.

Having thus cleansed the hair, I then i|ninerse it in a vat or tubcontaining a solution or composition'oi' matter consisting of thefollowing ingredients combined in the propertions stated, viz: twohundred (200) gallons water, one (1) gallon of a solution of the blackoxide of manganese and sulphuric acid prepared as follows. viz: To onehundred and sixty pounds of sulphuric acid, standard strength, I addthirteen and one-half pounds of the black oxide of manganese and allowit to remain insolution from twelve to fifteen days,

stirring the compound occasionally, after which I reduce it with waterto 85 Twaddles hydrometer, when it is ready for use in the proportionsabove given. 1 boil the hair in the above solution from ten to thirtyminutes by means of a steanrcoil in the bottom of the vat or tub, ashereinbefore described; but I do not allow the steam to escape in thesolution. Vhen sufficiently cooked, it becomes thoroughly dcodorized andmoth-proof, and may be dyed, curled, and dried for market.

I prefer the above solution and treatment for the purpose of deodorizingand rendering the hair moth-proof; but the proportions of theingredients in the solution may be varied and the time for cookingincreased or di1ninished, and hence I do not confine myself to eitherthe proportions named, or time specified, nor to any particular style oftubs, vats, or machinery.

Having fully described my in venlion, what I desire to claim and secureby Letters Patent 1slhc process herelnbefo re described ofcleansing,deodorizing, and rendering moth-proof crude animal-hair, moreparticularly crude hog-hair, which consists in washing said hair toremove the blood and extraneous dirt, &c., and cooking the hair in acompound or solution of water, qnicklime, salsoda, and sulphuric acidfor the purpose of changing the cuticle and shreds of flesh, 820., intoa gelatinous substance, and thereby rendering its separation from thehair the more easily effected, afterward rubbing, teasing, and washingthe said hair to remove the-gelatinous matter and complete the cleansingprocess, and again cooking the same in a compound or solution of watercombined with a solution of sulphuric acid and black oxide of manganesefor the purpose of further deodorizing and rendering it moth-proof, thuspreparing it for dyeing, curling, and drying in one continuousexpeditious and economical process, substantially as and for thepurposes hereinbefore described.

Intestimony whereof Ihavesigned my name, in the presence of WilliamKirby and Francis \V. McNally, subscribing witnesses, this 23d day ofFebruary, A. I). 1886.

NICHOLAS CONLON.

In presence of- WI L nn: K I am, F. \V. \IUNALLY.

